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TWO video recordings of a press conference held by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad were screened at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today, as part of contempt of court proceedings initiated by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The videos—published by two online news portals—show Dr Mahathir speaking to the press on December 5 last year in the lobby of the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, after giving testimony in a defamation suit he filed against the UMNO president over comments referring to him using the word “kutty”.
During the press conference, Dr Mahathir was seen displaying several documents, including his identification card, in a bid to rebut the claim made by Zahid in a 2017 political speech.
The materials and the timing of the press engagement, which took place during an ongoing trial, form the basis of the contempt application.
Presiding over the matter, Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong noted the seriousness of contempt proceedings and subsequently fixed 14 May for Dr Mahathir’s legal team to obtain further instructions from their client.
Present in court today was Dr Mahathir, who turns 99 this year, accompanied by his legal team led by counsel Rafique Rashid. Ahmad Zahid was represented by lawyer Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman.
The case stems from a civil defamation suit filed by Dr Mahathir against Ahmad Zahid, alleging that the deputy prime minister had made defamatory remarks during a UMNO division meeting in Kelana Jaya on 30 July 2017.
The comments, which referred to Dr Mahathir’s alleged Indian ancestry using the term “kutty”, were reportedly republished on Astro Awani’s YouTube channel and widely circulated by several online media platforms.
In January this year, the High Court granted leave for Ahmad Zahid to initiate contempt proceedings against Dr Mahathir over his actions during the 5 December press conference, which Zahid’s legal team contends could have interfered with the due process of the ongoing trial.
Dr Mahathir had concluded his testimony on 5 December, while his son Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir appeared as the final witness for the plaintiff on 9 December. Ahmad Zahid is scheduled to take the stand as a defence witness on 14 May.
The court will then assess whether Dr Mahathir’s comments to the media and his public display of documents outside the courtroom constitute a breach of legal decorum that could potentially amount to contempt. – April 16, 2025
